Let’s talk about falling in love. And no, I’m not talking about falling in love with your next online dating connection. I’m talking about falling in love with your job! Just like any relationship, the one with your job takes work, practice, and patience. There are compromises that must be met, social engagements attended and most importantly, you have to choose your job and your job has to choose you back…every day.

In a world of instant gratification, it is so easy to forget that the good things take time and effort. Falling in love with your job is no exception. I’ve put together a few tips on how to really love what you do.

What are your strengths?

Have you taken the strength finder test? Where do you shine? This is so critical to know!

In order to love your job, you need to match your strengths to your daily responsibilities. I highly recommend purchasing the Strengths Finder 2.0 book, written by Tom Rath. In my experience, I’ve learned most employers will actually buy this for you!

Inside this book is an online test you can take to determine your top strengths. For example, mine are: Individualization, Significance, Context, Restorative, and Achiever. The book also explains each strength to you and how that can be utilized in a professional setting. Connecting your strong suites to your work place will instantly create some chemistry!

What’s your love language? (Aka, what’s your communication style?)

I don’t feel heard or understood!

How many of us have been there in a relationship (slowly raises hand…)? Having strong communication with your peers is going to take your relationship to the next level.

Knowing your strengths and how to communicate them are key ingredients for a healthy relationship. I recommend having your whole team take the strengths finder test because then you will know how to best communicate with all the different personality types in the room. Adapting to each person’s style -or having the knowledge that people communicate differently from you – will help easy any tension and will keep everyone focused on the main goal.

Where is this relationship going? What is the long term goal?

Not everyone knows what they want to be when they grow up. Some people are still figuring that out later in life, and that’s okay!

If planning your 5 or 10 year goals seems impossible, let’s, let’s break it down into smaller, more obtainable goals. I recommend keeping a work journal. Write down at the end of the day what went well, what had you stumped, what failed, what you learned, what frustrated you, and what had you excited. The proof is going to be right there in front of you and over time, some common themes are going to stick out. You are going to realize that maybe you don’t like working in spreadsheets all day, or maybe you actually really like leading those team meetings. Those are important things to note because you might just be mapping out your dream job.

Having goals in place are going to make you a more active leader of your work destiny. You do have the power to change the things you don’t like, or try things you have never done, but you need to get a good grasp on what those things are. The last thing a manager wants to hear is, “I’m unhappy in my role and I don’t know what to do about it.” Track what is making you unhappy and track what really excites you. Bring a possible solution to your manager in your next one-on-one meeting. Not to be all cliche, but you really are in the driving seat here.

Loving your job and what you do is achievable. Don’t be too hard on yourself. You are going to go through some growing pains. You might even decide to “go on a break”. I admit, I have been through the ringer when it comes to finding a job I truly love. I even began to question if it was me. Of course, the answer was no; I just hadn’t found the right fit yet.

Today, I can confidently say that I’m in love with my job at PMG. Let me tell you, when you love what you do, everything else in life gets easier. Let’s face it, a majority of our lives are spent working- shouldn’t you love it?

Every third Wednesday of the month, PMG will be hosting a manufacturing-related webinar.

Join us for our first webinar in 2019 as we explore what future changes are expected as manufacturing continues to evolve. In this session, we’ll explore Industry 4.0 and how it’s impacting the sector. We’ll highlight key areas of change including IoT, machine learning, virtual and augmented reality, additive manufacturing and more.

Feeling nervous before a big interview is normal. Whether it is your first or your 50th, it can be a challenge to feel prepared and confident. As a recruiter, it is my job to conduct interviews all day long. I’ve been a part of the good, the bad, and the down-right cringe-worthy. But, interviews don’t have to be scary! I’ve put together my top six tips for crushing that interview!

1. Know the Company

• Nothing is worse than when I ask a candidate if they have any questions prior to the start of an interview and I receive, “Can you tell me about your company?” Instantly, a red flag goes up in my head. When you have reached an interview stage you should have a general idea about what the company does. It is ok to have specific questions about how the company operates or what their business model is like, but don’t just ask the blanketed question. It shows you didn’t do your research, or even worse, that you have applied to so many jobs you can’t keep them straight.

• Go into the interview knowing: what the company does, the mission statement, the company values, and the industry this company is in. Just focus on the basics.

2. Know why are you are there

• This is such a basic question that I think is over-looked. It is important to know why you are interviewing with this company, and more specifically, this job. “I want a new challenge” or “I’m looking to grow my skills” simply doesn’t cut it anymore. Come into the interview with a genuine reason as to why you are the best solution for this company and what specifically makes that the case.

• Be honest! Hiring managers and recruiters can tell when you are not being fully transparent and eventually the truth will come out. If you are miserable at your current company and are desperate to leave (we have all been there) you need to communicate that.

• And lastly, show some excitement and passion about the position! The company is dedicating a lot of time, money, and resources into the hiring process- show that you understand that and you too are investing in this process.

3. Prepare for the Interview Questions

• You know the tough questions are coming – so plan ahead. Prior to an interview, I recommend writing down five work experiences that stick out to you in your mind. What was good? What was bad? What did you learn? Employers want to know about the times you messed up (mistakes happen every day- it’s ok!). They also want to see how you handled that stressful situation and how you have adjusted your process going forward. No one expects perfection, but self-awareness and accountability are two major factors being determined by these questions.

• When addressing a negative situation, (e.g. “Tell me about someone you didn’t get along with at a past job”) don’t get too caught up in the details. The truth is, we don’t really want to hear why Karen constantly complained to you in the break room. What we really want to hear is that there are things that you don’t love in the workplace, but you don’t let that affect you. You are able to brush off the politics and not add to the drama. Keep it light. Always explain what you learned from that experience and how it has positively impacted your behavior.

4. Listen

• An interview is not just about a company determining if they want to hire you, but it is also a time for you to determine if you want to work with them. It is important to actively listen when the hiring manager is explaining the position and the culture of the company. I also recommend writing down a list of “must haves” and “nice to haves” prior to the interview. Listen for those key words. If you hear them, great! You can check that off the list. If not, it presents a good opportunity for you to ask about that later.

• Take notes! Your mind is spinning a hundred miles a second during this interview. If you try recalling small details and specific situations, odds are you are going to forget some of the valuable information that is being shared with you. Taking notes also shows the hiring team that you are really interested about what they have to say.

• It is also common to think of some questions you want to ask while in the interview. Jot them down right away so that at the end, when it is your time to ask the questions, you don’t forget what you had wanted to cover earlier.

5. Ask Good Questions

• At the end of the interview, you will be asked, “What questions do you have for us?” You NEED to have questions. You are being tested to see how much you prepared for the interview, how well you listened during the interview, and it shows what is really important to you. Don’t ask about the benefits and PTO. That shows the hiring team that you are probably less interested in the job and more interested in the perks. (Ask the recruiter these questions — that is what we are there for!)

• I always recommend some of the following questions:

i. What challenges will the position bring?
ii. What does success look like in this role?
iii. Why is the position open?
iv. How will the role contribute to the overall success of the organization?

• Again – take notes! That shows these are really important questions to you and you are not just asking them for the sake of asking.

6. Follow-Up

• The amount of times I have received a hand-written “Thank You” card are few – but it sure stands out! It shows that you are thoughtful and detail oriented.

• I also understand you are going to want feedback or an answer right away – that is not likely to happen. Give the hiring team some time to make their decision. You don’t want to change their perception of you by consistently calling and emailing asking for an update.

If you practice these six tips, I’m sure you will crush that next interview. Who knows, it just might be your dream job!

Since the 1900s, America has seen the manufacturing sector transform into something our forefathers couldn’t even have imagined. Join us for an informative session about manufacturing and its top industries.

In this session, we’ll define what manufacturing is and highlight how it has evolved into what it looks like today. We’ll explore some of the top manufacturing industries, identify each by the type of industry it is and how each reacts to other industries in the sector. We’ll wrap up the session by outlining some of the common standards and certifications required for some of manufacturing’s top industries to meet regulations.

Topic: Soft skills: What are they and how do they impact the modern workforce?

Having a strong technical skill set is important for any career in manufacturing. However, soft skills are just as important and continue to be an area manufacturers look for in their new hires.

Join us as we explore what soft skills are and how they impact today’s workforce. We’ll highlight what soft skills manufacturing companies are looking for in their workforce and why these skills are important. We’ll also cover how to make sure these skills stand out on your resume and in your interview.

Join us to learn more about PMG and the job opportunities we offer technicians looking to make good money, gain more experience and get paid to travel. We’ll highlight case studies of PMG projects to give you a better understanding of the work we do. We’ll explore what it’s like to be a PMG technician and the benefits our techs receive. Lastly, we’ll provide resume and interview tips to help prepare applicants for the hiring process.

Not interested in new job opportunities? Not a problem.

This webinar will be filled with key takeaways for individuals currently working or looking to work in the manufacturing industry. Be sure to stay for the presentation’s final topic, What’s Next in Manufacturing, where we will discuss what experts are predicting for the future of manufacturing.

Starting a new career is a big adjustment. Candidates often express concerns such as, “How will I learn the PMG process and get up to speed quickly?” Over the last 14 years, we’ve refined our training program to ensure every new hire is set up for success. Our training program begins with an extensive in-office training week. This week includes PMG business model and product overview, CRM training, shadowing existing employees, studying a training manual and role-playing. The first week of training is important to give you enough information to be dangerous, but we understand that training is a life-long process.

Our motto at PMG is that training and development should never end. For our new hires, we have weekly call coaching sessions and one-on-one meetings with managers. We also hold a quarterly team training, where we discuss new techniques or go over successes/struggles that we are encountering. Brian Primus, our Director of Business Development has been with PMG for over 14 years and plays a critical role in the training and development of our new hires. For many of those years, he was our only salesman. In order to efficiently translate his superior selling skills to new hires, Brian now holds a dual role of Salesman and Sales Trainer.

Along with our training program, our leadership team has an open door policy and encourages everyone to come forward with any new ideas or questions. We want to have an environment where the free-flow of ideas is constant and where learning and career growth never stop.

ABOUT PMG

PMG brings more than 30 years of experience in providing project labor and crisis labor solutions to manufacturing companies in the United States. Our dedication to integrity and reliability has driven us to become the premier labor solution provider in the industry.